*
Egocentricity
I live in a world of fancy,
and when I first perceived yours
I recognized it as part of my own
and took it.
I wrapped it in a cloth of love,
and even passion,
and put it under my pillow to hold tight.
By day I molded and shaped it to my needs.
It satisfied me.
By night I made love to it
and it fulfilled me.
My life force was isolated in your essence
and it became my survival.
It is now my possession
and I need you no longer.
**
Untitled
the pain screams its womanhood
inside my belly.
a month has passed
and once again
I do penance for resisting you.
***
The Fabric Store
the men wait in station wagons
listening to AM radio news
and glaring through their windshields
the kids are fighting in the back seat
hurry up
inside, the women whisper
magic words
polyester
cotton
wool blend
touching lightly, their fingers drift among the bolts
and I in my haughty innocence
cut their fabric straight,
and deftly conceal the raw edges.
"make sure you wash before you sew
to avoid shrinkage"
some day I will understand
their smile
as they clutch their packets
and slowly walk back to the car
****
Desdemona
sleepy shakespeare afternoon
what did desdemona look like?
they say she wanted to be a man
i know better
she was almost twenty
and had a habit of looking into mirrors
and putting blush on her cheeks
when she heard her friend was getting married
she did love othello
for he was all men
and she was frightened
and for that reason
she would go to the kitchen
with toast and honey dreams
and eat an orange
then smoke another cigarette
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Greetings Diane. I find your poems from 1977 very telling of your world then. It spoke of a love from then, how you cherished that love, and how, I think, you became dependent on that love. Then, I think, you took the lessons from that love, made them your own and moved on, I hope to be a stronger YOU.
Untitled, I believe, you were dealing with the loss of a love? The pain in your belly, I think you were pregnant from that love or so, so hurt by it ending. And the punishment was trying to deal with the loss. The image in my head is of you crying out in sorrow and agony, wringing your hands together, tears pouring out. I think I’m feeling your pain from 1977. It transcends time.
Fabric Store. It was a job and felt superior to your customers maybe because fabric was Their world and Your world was much larger. The haughtiness in you? Maybe the smiles they wore was because they achieved their prize of the fabric…..and what would come from that.
Othello I never read, but only caught a few minutes of it on TV. I think the woman who likes toast and honey, and then smokes a cigarette reminds you of the character of Desdemona, your interpretation of her, someone you knew.
I don’t know how close I come to understanding your poems. I enjoy reading them and try to understand what’s going through your head andor heart. Thank you for what you share of yourself through them.
Thank you Michael! You came very close in all cases . . . though to be honest, I’m not even completely sure myself what I might have meant back then. Though much of these words and thoughts transcend time, a lot has also been eroded by the ravages of time. I am moved by your interpretations. xo
I’m glad you liked what I wrote. A lot of time has passed since 1977. I don’t remember what I was doing. I think I was working three jobs at the time. Anyway, you’ve moved on since then and have done a lot of good things.
WOW
Love these, Diane! Your style has evolved, but I still see today’s “you” in these poems. Such fun to peek into your past! Janice
Yes. I’ve been writing poems for a while now!
Absolutely love these! Adore that photo!
Iva